Hurdler William Sharman: The real-life gladiator

Flying the flag: William Sharman's excellent form makes him a genuine Olympic medal hope

William Sharman is no ordinary athlete. Not only is the 26-year-old the fifth-fastest British 110-metre hurdler of all time and a top British hopeful for a 2012 medal, he is also a classically trained pianist with a BA in economics, and an MSc in banking and finance.

Today he is fresh off the plane from France, returning from the Chambéry Hurdles Festival, where he clocked a season's best for the 110m hurdles (13.56 seconds into a headwind).

Perhaps one of the more iconic track and field events, the 110m hurdles is more than just a funny-looking dash; it is man versus physics, a fast, furious race, requiring skill, dedication and natural talent, all of which Sharman, who came second in the Commonwealth Games in August 2010, clearly has in spades.

"Hurdling is very exciting because it is all about negotiating obstructions, which is what life is about too," he says. "You're running onto a barrier as fast as you can, and then all of a sudden you've taken the barrier. When you do that, and you do a series of hurdles really quickly, it's a massive rush."

Born in Nigeria to a British father and West African mother, Sharman came to England aged three to live in Corby, Northamptonshire. He now lives in Nottingham with his 28-year-old schoolteacher wife, Lyna, and two-year-old son, Joshua.

A keen sportsman from a young age, it wasn't until he was 15 that he took up hurdling. "A PE teacher at school repeatedly picked this boy who was rubbish to represent the school at hurdles. Eventually I put my foot down and said, 'Why haven't you chosen me? I know I can do it and I know I can win and beat all of these guys'. The teacher said, 'If you think you're that good, go for it'. So I did. They were all going up and over the hurdles, and I knew I wanted to go straight, to almost run through them and save time that way. Pretty soon I was involved in county athletics and breaking records."

But what makes a person so secure in their abilities? "My coach (Jerzy Maciukiewicz) always tells me how good I am, so my confidence is built in training. You win the easy races so when it's time to take on the best you have the confidence. I've always had parents who believed in me. If you haven't got that it's hard to believe in yourself."

It wasn't only sport that caught the young Sharman's attention, though. He achieved Grade 8 piano at 16 and played the cornet in the BBC Youth Orchestra of the year - and he also used to think of becoming a lawyer.

But it was John Anderson, Sharman's previous coach and the man the athlete refers to as "the all-or-nothing person who took hold of my athletics", who instigated a unilateral focus. Perhaps better known for his role as referee in the hit TV show Gladiators, Anderson took Sharman firmly under his wing.

"He told me nothing could come before my track except education. So I stopped playing the piano, everything stopped He tricked me into doing the decathlon when I was only interested in getting a high jump coach! Before I knew it, decathlon took over my life."

Sharman's decathlon prowess came to an end in 2005 when he suffered a pole-vaulting injury to his shoulder, which meant he could no longer throw the javelin at an international level. From there, he decided to focus solely on hurdling.

His relationship with Anderson continued, however, including a period between January and March 2008 when Sharman assisted on Gladiators as official timekeeper.

"I designed a lot of the fitness tests for the people who wanted to be in the show," he tells me gleefully. "I made grown men cry. It's one thing to be big, and another thing to be big and athletic, to be dynamic with it."

As he talks, it becomes obvious that Sharman finds overlooking the indoor track of Loughborough University's High Performance Centre for Athletics distracting. His eyes flick downwards, presumably projecting forwards to the running drills and weights he tells me are on the agenda for later, interspersed with a punishing massage which he says, rather casually, will "bruise" him.

This is all just part of the daily grind. Training six days a week and apparently "never" going on holiday must take its toll but Sharman insists he has the support network that he needs.

"On both sides my grandparents are young and live close by. Lots of friends, younger than me, have children as well and I enjoy having a life to go home to, walking through the door and not just having tiles and empty brick walls to welcome me."

Sharman's influence at home is already showing in his young son: "Whenever the athletics is on TV, Joshua goes down into the set position, raises his hips for set and runs for go." He smiles proudly. "But athletics is hard to succeed in, who knows whether he's going to go into it. I'd support him whatever. I just want him to be happy."

Does he resent the earnings of footballers, vastly superior to those of the average track athlete?

"No, because if I was a footballer I'd be loving it. Anyway, their sport has a lot more followers and generates a lot more revenue so the business structure is different. There's a very narrow pyramid in athletics moneywise - you can be the third best in the country at your event and trying to train full time but still need a part-time job."

Regardless of that, how does he feel about the state of British athletics?

"It's strong. We've got various potential world champions. It's right that we're hosting the Olympics - we're one of the great sporting nations. But 2012 is not just about the input to sport, it's about the input to society in general, how everyone will benefit, what kind of legacy they will leave behind.

" I'm really into boxing at the moment, I'm a big fan of Lennox Lewis - he took on everyone and he was the best. That's what I want to do, to be the best."

Thankfully, despite his admiration for boxing champions, Sharman doesn't go in for their inflated fighting talk. When asked about his hopes for the future, he's self-assured and dignified.

"I've had a bit of a rollercoaster ride, breaking my wrist in Berlin and getting disqualified at the European championships for a false start in the semi-final. But that's all part of life. Hopefully all these things will make me stronger - I'm pushing every single day. The only place I'm going is forward and upwards."